In Doubtful Twilight
by Tokyo the Glaive
Summary: As a profane darkness spreads across the continent and the dead walk, the overland route from Frelia to Jehanna has become dangerous. Prince Innes takes his father's advice and hires a mercenary company to help his army make the journey. With some skill, some luck, and no small portion of trust, they may arrive alive.
1. At World's End

This piece takes its title from one translation from Ovid's _Metamorphoses_: "Near the Cimmerii a cavern lies deep in the hollow of a mountainside, the home and sanctuary of lazy Somnus, where Phoebus' beams can never reach at morn or noon or eve, but cloudy vapours rise in doubtful twilight . . .there silence dwells: only the lazy stream of Lethe 'neath the rock with whisper low o'er pebbly shallows trickling lulls to sleep. Before the cavern's mouth lush poppies grow and countless herbs, from whose bland essences a drowsy infusion dewy Nox distils and sprinkles sleep across the darkening world."

* * *

Like most superior beings, Innes knew something about everything. He could tell by the hue of the sky if a storm was nigh. He knew how to track wild kyssra, a rare bird that took as its home the sheer rock faces of Frelia's northern cliffs, and, more importantly in his opinion, how to track the kyssra's many predators. He understood all of Frelia's, and many of Renais', regional dialects, even those that cascaded into other languages altogether. He knew what under what conditions the Queen's Gambit worked in chess, and how a similar, albeit very risky, version of the same thing worked on the battlefield. He knew how to string a bow in the dark.

The few things he didn't know, Innes arranged to be told. His network of spies, although commonly assumed to be Frelia's, answered directly and only to him. Through them, he learned of the whimsical secret journey of the young princess of Rausten. He was informed of a series of prison breaks around the southern coast of Grado, where he knew only men who had committed the most serious of crimes had been incarcerated. He had been told of the illness of Emperor Vigarde, and of the frantic efforts of his son, Prince Lyon, to counteract the inevitable.

His spies had been unable to get close to the Emperor or his son of late, but it was clear enough to Innes that at least one of them had to have gone mad, to start a war without provocation and with the sole discernible goal of destroying the Sacred Stones. The Grado forces he had seen were coordinated and skilled, but their newest generals were better known for cruelty, unusual practices, and violence against civilians than any kind of bravery or valor.

Now, in these dark times, though he could catch the slightest whisper in the air, could see a good twenty meters further than most men; though he considered himself superior to all others, even Innes knew that he needed help if he was going to do anything about the madness sprawling across the continent.

Princess Eirika of Renais was bound for Rausten with a rather large force at her disposal to inform the theocracy of Grado's intents. Her brother, Prince Ephraim, was headed for Grado with but a handful of knights to search for answers and to try to put a dent in the empire's movements. That left Innes headed for Jehanna by the overland route, and he knew from experience that it would not be easy travel. His knowledge of the terrain was spotty at best, and even with some of Frelia's finest at his side, his chances of survival were not so high as he would have liked them to be. Even if he arrived alive, gaining access to the palace itself could prove problematic, even for a royal such as himself. He needed all of the assistance he could get.

"To Jehanna, you say?"

Innes stared down the mercenary across from him. Even in the dim light of the tavern he found himself in, Innes could see that the mercenary was lean and tanned, and without an ounce of fat on his body. The few scars he could see intrigued him. The first was on his right arm, likely a byproduct of his chosen line of work. The second was across his nose, the cut too thin and too deliberate to be anything but a sword slice, and one made while the victim was on the ground. At some point, this man had lost a fight and gotten a mark because of it. Innes dismissed any further thought of it, as it looked too old to be relevant.

The last one, though, the one on his cheek, was most interesting. That was the freshest. It was ragged and thin: a dagger had done the deed. With a hit that close, and on the face, Innes had to assume that the mercenary had been attacked by someone close to him. His very survival told Innes of the outcome of that fight.

Innes was starting to like this man.

"Jehanna," Innes confirmed. The mercenary downed his drink, then ordered another with a wave of his hand.

"You know," the mercenary said, "the only way to Jehanna from here is by land. Going around the coast of Rausten is too dangerous for any merchant vessel."

"If I wanted to sail," Innes said, "I wouldn't need mercenaries."

The man laughed. It was deep and full-bodied, the likes of which Innes only heard from commoners and knights. One of the tavern wenches dropped off another ale, and the mercenary took it in hand immediately. "Right you are," he said. Innes could tell that the mercenary was looking at him, really looking. He straightened his spine and bit back what he most wanted to say.

"You will, of course, be amply compensated."

"It's not the money I'm worried about, Prince, but survival. No job's worth the risk if you won't live to see the rewards." The mercenary leaned forward, resting his forearms on the wooden table. Innes noticed that he kept his elbows off of it. So the mercenary had some breeding. Interesting.

"My country may be at war," Innes said, "but for the time being, my army marches not to do battle but to warn. We need to reach Jehanna. The plan is to move quickly and without drawing the attention of the Grado Empire. I'm not looking for a fight."

That was a lie. Innes wanted nothing more than to put an arrow through Emperor Vigarde's eye for all of the trouble he had caused amongst the civilian population, to say nothing of the destruction of Frelia's Sacred Stone. Innes' blood boiled at the thought.

"I get the feeling that's not the full picture," the mercenary said. Innes said nothing, and the mercenary watched him for a long moment. "What do you need to warn Jehanna Hall about?"

Innes drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "I don't see how the reason behind my expedition is of any of your concern."

The mercenary sat back. "I respectfully disagree, Prince. You see, this is a strange job. You put in a claim to the guild for their best man without giving any particulars or even any price. Most others wouldn't have even considered it, but here I am. I can be reasonable, but only within reason. I'm not sending myself and others out to get killed without knowing what I'm going up against and why."

The mercenary had a point, though it was one Innes was loathe to admit. Many of Frelia's generals still did not know that the Sacred Stone had been destroyed, much less that there was an alleged plot on the part of the Grado Empire to eliminate the others. He had to be careful.

Innes paused before saying, "Grado's motivations for starting a war are anything but clear. What is clear is that her soldiers have penetrated the Frelian border. Only one month past, they attacked the Tower of Valni, where Frelia's Sacred Stone has rested for generations. I trust you know the stories behind the Stones."

The mercenary pushed his drink aside. "You mean to tell me," he said, "that Grado sent its army after one of those relics?" Innes nodded. "Why?"

"As I said, Grado's motivations are anything but clear. However, the threat therein is. Where the armies of Grado have crossed the border, savagery and death have been permitted free reign. Frelia has an alliance with Carcino, but that is not enough to hold back the Empire. We would have Jehanna on our side to help counter this madness."

The mercenary steepled his hands. "What about Rausten? Renais?"

"Renais has borne the brunt of the fighting. Its armies are decimated, its knights are scattered, and its king is dead. One of the Renais royals, however, is currently sailing to Rausten in hopes of gaining assistance. The other faces Grado head-on in hopes of stalling the Empire's advances." Innes spread his hands. "As you can see, our resources are spread thin."

"That's where I come in."

"Exactly."

The mercenary smiled. "Jehanna, huh?"

Innes nodded. "Jehanna."


	2. Phlegethon (Part I)

"Watch your step. The path's rocky up here."

Innes scowled at the ground rather than at his mercenary companion. Gerik was his name, he'd said, after agreeing to work for Innes. The prince wasn't sure if he believed that this man was the moderately famous mercenary his father had told him about, but he had no reason to be dissatisfied thus far. He was, however, well and truly annoyed by Gerik's persistent nagging. He hadn't stopped talking since they'd reached the Carcino border. He prattled on and on about his friends, his companions, just about _anything_.

"This is nothing compared to the Northern Cliffs at Hadlie," Innes said. "I'm fine. Stop worrying about me."

Gerik laughed. Innes was growing accustomed to the sound. "Whatever you say. I've been to Hadlie, though; I seem to remember them being far less treacherous peaks than these."

Innes' scowl deepened. From up ahead, he heard, "Chief, I've got good news. It looks like the terrain levels out soon. We've nearly reached the Plateau."

"Hear that, Prince?" Gerik called down. Innes' own progress up the mountainside was miserable compared to Gerik's. "We're nearly to Teraz."

Innes hoisted himself up the next set of rocks. Gerik was waiting for him, looking for all the world as if he intended to start laughing again. The prince schooled his features to remain impassive.

"We'll be passing by the Hall of the Council of Elders of Carcino," Innes said. "We'll stock on supplies there. I sent a messenger ahead to alert them to our coming. She should be returning soon."

Gerik looked to the sky. "Pegasi," he said. "Never saw too many of them in Jehanna. I've worked with riders, to be sure, but your Frelian knights are something else."

Innes couldn't repress the proud smirk. "Our pegasus riders are the finest anywhere, a fitting match for even the wyverns of Grado. There are none better."

They continued their march up the mountain in relative silence. The soldiers who Innes had brought with him were further down and struggling to catch up, with the exception of the pegasus knights who, as usual, floated above with grace.

"Prince, there's a much better path just to the left of you," Gerik said. Innes had noticed when Gerik had slowed down to follow him rather than lead, but this was too much.

"I told you, I'm fine. I can see the path just fine. I don't need you to point it out to me."

"Ah, but you've never travelled it before," Gerik said. "Trust me, take the left."

Innes decided against argument. Nightfall would be in a few hours, and he hoped to be at the Plateau by then. He clambered to the left, taking the rocks a few steps at a time. As Gerik had said, it was easier. He wasn't going to tell the mercenary that, of course.

"I've been here once before, you know," Gerik said amicably. Innes wished he would shut up. "On a job for one of the old councilmen, actually."

This was the first Innes had heard of such a thing. "Oh?" he asked.

"Yeah. Councilman Shifrin. He died a few months ago. Before that, though, he wanted us to clear out some bandits that had made a stronghold in the mountains surrounding the Hall. They'd been causing rockslides and razing villages for months."

When Innes realized that Gerik did not intend to continue, he said, "I assume you took care of it?"

"As well as we could, given the circumstances. Councilman Shifrin didn't care so much about the regular goons, but he wanted to give the ringleader a fair trial. The man had been something of a popular civil figure before turning to banditry. So we took out the bandits we found and captured the leader. When they took him to trial, though, one of the other councilmen fought hard for his acquittal. He ended up walking a free man, or so I heard."

The rocks were craggy and sharp this far up. Innes had already sliced his hand on one of them, and he could feel the stone digging into his flesh yet again. He hadn't said a word about it, but he knew Gerik had seen the blood on the stones as he came up behind him.

From above, Innes heard, "Chief, Prince, you'd better get up here. This may be good news, but then again, it could be bad."

Innes hoisted himself up the last jut of rocks. The woman who'd called down before, Tethys was her name, was looking across the plateau. She was beautiful, Innes had to admit. She was a dancer by trade, and had no business on the battlefield, but Gerik had informed him that she was an invaluable asset to any mercenary work. Innes disliked the thought of paying his mercenary to bring his lover along, but he'd said that having her with him was a condition of employment, not of pleasure, so Innes had hesitantly accepted.

Gerik soon appeared behind him. "Tethys, you're carrying the vulneraries, right?" Gerik said. Innes thought he was eying his hand, but perhaps he was just paranoid. "We'd better split them up, just in case. Don't want to run any risks, now."

Innes pocketed the small satchel Tethys handed him. He could tend to his hand later.

"Chief, Prince," Tethys said. "You might want to see this." She pointed across the plateau. Gerik squinted against the descending sun. Innes, too, shielded his eyes and looked in the direction Tethys indicated.

"What is that?" the mercenary asked.

"Councilman Pablo and his guard," Innes said. "He's a representative on the Council of Elders."

"What?" Gerik asked. "You can see that far off?" Innes shifted the bow on his back. "Well, they must have gotten your message. We should meet up with them before sundown. They're quite far off."

Gerik and Tethys began to move, but Innes remained in place. He glanced down the mountainside at his battalion, which was nearly to the top.

"Wait," he said.

"What, for them?" Tethys asked. "If we wait that long, we'll be out here past dark."

"Tethys is right. If your welcoming committee is here, then we should go. They'll take care of your men as they come up."

Innes shook his head. "That's what I'm worried about. Draw your sword."

Gerik did so, and stepped in front of Innes.

"I don't need your protection," the prince said, fingering his bow.

"I thought that's what you hired us for," Gerik said.

"Hold on," Tethys interrupted. "I thought Carcino was an ally of Frelia. Why are we drawing swords?"

"We were allies," Innes said. "Now, though, I'm not sure." The dancer didn't look convinced, and honestly, Innes couldn't resist an opportunity to show off, especially after the demonstration of his poor climbing skills. "Where is my messenger?" he asked. "She should have returned by now. The Councilman appears to have a decently sized guard at his back. That would take time to put together. The fact that she hasn't returned, though she clearly relayed her message some time ago…"

"—indicates that something happened. Something bad. Tethys, get behind us. This could get messy," Gerik ordered. Innes was grateful that he was the type to catch on fast. "I say we make a break for the south. If we cut around the mountain path, they can't follow us."

"No," Innes replied. "That abandons all of Frelia's fighters down there. The Councilman doesn't know that we suspect anything yet."

"Assuming there's any reason to suspect," Tethys said. "Your rider could have gotten lost." Innes gave her a look that his sister once claimed could wilt the petals off a flower.

"Now, let's be reasonable here," Gerik said, drawing the attention of both Innes and Tethys. "We have time before they reach us, but I'd rather have a plan that doesn't involve us with pressed here with our backs to the abyss. What should we do?"

Innes rolled his eyes. "We approach, of course. That's what they'll be expecting."

"You want to walk straight into the trap?"

"Precisely. Councilman Pablo, assuming that he has indeed set a trap," Innes said, nodding to Tethys, "won't risk a direct assault on my forces now. Even after a long march, Frelia's army has a formidable reputation. He'll give us quarters and kills us in the night, like the cowards these merchants are."

"But we can't let that happen," Gerik said.

"No, we cannot. We will man a fortress and defend. There are many of them close to the Hall, and as Carcino has no peacetime army save the mercenaries that they hire, the forts are largely empty. We'll have to wait in one."

"For what?" Tethys asked. The first of the Frelian soldiers were finding stable footing. "We'll be trapped like rats in a cage."

"I'm no rat, I'm the Prince of Frelia." Innes signaled to one of the pegasus riders. "I want reinforcements. Tell my father that I suspect trouble. I want at least one battalion, maybe two, and as soon as possible."

The rider set off with the news at once. "They'll have seen her fly away," Gerik said.

"For all they know, I'm simply informing my father that I've arrived safely. It's what any dutiful son would do for a father worried about his son." Innes turned his attention to one of the Frelian generals who was being helped to the top. "Expect trouble," Innes ordered. "Tell the troops. Unless I give the order, you do not lay down your arms. You do not cease to be alert. You do not so much as sleep, unless there are several watches set, do you understand?"

The man nodded. "Sire," he said.

Tethys barked a laugh. "You know, Prince, expressing a little human emotion couldn't hurt."

Innes ignored her. "Come, we've a Councilman to meet." He set off at a brisk pace, and Gerik fell into step beside him.

"Are you doing to do anything about that hand?"

"What hand?" Innes questioned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Innes could see Gerik shaking his head. "Never mind, Prince. Never mind."

It was a fifteen minute walk to reach Councilman Pablo and his guard. As Innes anticipated, they were armed to the teeth but doing their best to appear at ease. Amateurs.

"Prince Innes!" Pablo cried with a flourish and a bow. "We received your message, my Prince, and we are eager to help in anyway that we can."

"Councilman," Innes spoke. "You must work on your bows. Though I am aware that you are not accustomed to giving such grand gestures, to give one so low borders on mockery." The smile slipped from the Councilman's face. "At any rate, I am pleased to see you. I regret that we had to inform you of our passing through on such short notice. We will, of course, remember your kindness in this matter."

The smile returned to Pablo's face. "Of course, my Prince, of course. Carcino is grateful for its alliance with Frelia. May the benefits of our friendship ever flow." He bowed again, this time not so deeply. "Come, I'm sure you and your men are exhausted from the long climb. I apologize that our men were unable to escort you ourselves. We've been having a bit of a problem with bandits of late."

"Bandits?" Innes asked.

"Quite right. I think the Grado Empire must be funding them. They're awfully well equipped. Many men are combing the grounds now, searching for them. Because of their savagery, the rest of the Council deemed it wise to send just one of us out to meet you with a guard. Please, take no offense."

"Prudence is never cause for offense," Innes said. Pablo fell into step beside him. Gerik remained on his other side, flanked by Tethys.

"Though," Pablo said, "I must ask, please, could you have your man sheathe his blade?"

"Prudence," Innes said. "If there are indeed savages about, I would prefer that my guard remain armed." The prince gave his best aristocratic smile, and Pablo's objections melted away. Innes thought his jaw might melt, too. He hated that particular facial expression.

"You will need quarters for your men this night," Pablo continued. "There is a fortress just south of the Hall of the Council on this very plateau. It is well stocked. If it pleases you, we can set your troops there."

"That would be most kind," Innes said.

"And you, of course, will be staying with the Elders."

Innes straightened his spine. "Though you do me great honor, I must remain with the soldiers. We set out right away."

"I insist," Pablo said. "You are visiting royalty of our ally; we merely wish to show you every courtesy…"

Innes thought quickly. "Very well, I will accept your generous offer. However, I must insist that my guard remain with me."

Pablo's eyes flitted to Gerik. "Of course," he murmured. "It is only prudent."


	3. Phlegethon (Part II)

"Please tell me you have a plan."

Innes glared at Gerik from over his shoulder and locked the door to his quarters. There were elegant but simple—nothing compared to the fineries of home. "Of course I have a plan."

"Good. Do you mind letting me in on it? Because right now, one of my friends is currently with your army in a fortress to the south, potentially in danger, while I'm up here with you."

"I thought mercenaries were after the money, not about saving each other."

Gerik was on him faster than even the prince could predict. Innes had never been pressed up against a door before, and while he was not intimidated, he was uncomfortable. "Listen, Prince, because I told you once and I'll tell you just one more time: I'm not in it for the money. If one of my friends dies, the job's over."

"Back away from me."

"Not until I hear what you're planning on doing."

Innes grabbed the front of Gerik's shirt. "Speak so loudly," he hissed, "and everyone in this building's going to hear. Didn't you notice? We're in the middle of a mountain palace, so we're surrounded, and there is only one exit. If they suspect a thing, they block it, and your friend, as you put it, is doomed. Now back up."

With a snarl, Gerik backed up. Innes checked the lock on the door, straightened his shirt, and crossed the room to stand beside the mercenary.

"The plan is simple," he said. "I've no doubt that they try to kill me first. Since you're here, they'll pass on an assassin. Given that their "hospitality" will likely involve food, I've no doubt they'll try for poison and mangle my corpse later to make it look like bandits. In short, we need to get out before anyone comes looking for me for dinner."

Gerik laughed. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Do I look like a joking man?"

The mercenary shook his head. "You know, I'm starting to like you. How do we get out?"

"Assuming it's not too late, the front door."

Gerik had just opened his mouth when a knock came on the door.

"Prince Innes?" an unknown female voice called. "Councilman Pablo requests your presence at a banquet in your honor."

"Unbelievable," Gerik whispered.

"Thank you, I'll be there soon," Innes called. When he looked back to Gerik, the mercenary was stifling laughter.

"Sorry, Prince," he said between clenched fingers. "It's just, having banquets and entertaining nobles at the drop of the hat is just so… So…"

Innes just stared at him. "The front door's no longer an option. How do your arms feel?"

Gerik straightened himself out. "As good as ever, why?"

The prince went for the windows. "Unless you see another way out…" He eyed the drop. It was a sheer rock face, with nothing so much as resembling a foothold.

"That's one hell of a reason," Gerik said. He eyed Innes. "You're not the best climber, and there are men down there allegedly looking for bandits."

"If you think I can't—"

"Listen, you've got a plan to get out, which means that I can get to Tethys. That's great. The only trouble is, I'd rather have you alive when I reach the bottom."

Innes put on his best sneer. Gerik was gathering up curtains and tying them in ropes.

"If you think I can't do something so menial as this, then—"

Gerik cut Innes off for the second time by hoisting him over his shoulder.

"Hang on," Gerik said. He stood on the ledge of the window, and though Innes balked at the thought of obeying someone else's orders, he instinctively grabbed at Gerik's torso when he felt the mercenary's hands go to the makeshift rope. He could feel, rather than see, the mercenary's short laugh through his muscles. "And don't let go."

Gerik began to sashay down the rope, and Innes swore up and down that it wasn't vertigo so much as hunger that had his stomach turning this way and that. The rocks scraped at his back and head, but it was worse for Gerik, whose hands, he knew, were bleeding from the rope. He didn't risk letting go of Gerik to check his own hand, and he felt all the more foolish for thinking about it.

After descending most of the way down, Gerik stopped.

"The rope ends here," Gerik said. Innes risked a look down. The drop would be neither fatal nor pleasant, but it would certainly hurt.

"If we dally any longer, they'll find us down here. At worst, they'll hoist us back up," Innes said.

"Or they'll cut us down."

"That would be the best outcome," Innes said. He couldn't keep the gloom out of his voice.

"I guess that decides it, then. I need you to let go when I do. It'll make for a better fall."

Innes didn't have much of a choice. "Say when."

The prince could tell Gerik was smiling, the daft mercenary. "When."

Innes let go, and Gerik let go of the rope. The drop turned Innes' stomach inside out, and were it not for the fact that he kept hitting the rock wall on the way down, he might have passed out.

As it was, he was awake and badly bruised when he hit the ground moments after Gerik. "Ow…" the mercenary groaned.

"We don't have much time," Innes rasped. He was ashamed of how out of breath he sounded. "We need to get to that fortress sooner rather than later, and preferably without drawing the attention of the men combing the area. Can you walk?"

Gerik pushed himself up off of the ground. There was a cut along his shoulder that gushed blood freely, but other than that, he looked well enough.

"Can you?" Gerik questioned. Innes was slightly less ashamed; Gerik sounded worse than he did.

"Come. We've little time."

The sun was setting across the mountains, and Innes thought he heard a commotion in the Hall of the Council behind him, but they were too close to give up. With the fortress just meters away, the two men ran.

By the time they reached the stone fort, Innes had a pronounced limp, and Gerik had lost a great deal of blood. There were Frelian soldiers just outside, and as Innes and Gerik mounted the stairs to the main gate, they ran to greet them.

"Sire! What happened?"

Innes grimaced as someone grabbed him in hopes of supporting his weight. "Unhand me. Where are your weapons? I told you to prepare for a fight."

"We already have," one of the soldiers said confidently. "We caught a spy."

Innes supported himself as best as he could. "A spy?"

"Aye, sir. She's in here. We were tipped off by one of Councilman Pablo's men that she was a ringleader for a plot on your life."

Innes shook his head. "Of course she is. Where is the Councilman's informant now?"

"With the Captain of the Guard."

Innes could have hit someone, and he might have, had Gerik not sensed his inclination and given him a nudge with his good arm. "Idiots, one and all." The prince's words were met with resounding silence. "You and you," he said, pointing to soldiers, "go check on the Captain. If we're lucky, he's still alive. You," he pointed to the soldier who had spoken, "you're taking us to this spy of yours."

There was a cacophony of "Yes, sir!"s and "Right away!" as the soldiers jumped into action. Innes and Gerik followed the last frightened Frelian to the back of the fortress, where the "spy" was being kept.

"I've already told you, I'm a mercenary, not a spy. I was hired by the Prince—"

"Shut up, you!"

"Soldier, if you lay a hand on that woman, your life is forfeit," Innes called ahead, anticipating what was to come. Still, Innes heard a resounding thunk as a fist hit flesh. Gerik ran past him, already ascertaining the situation.

"Tethys?" he called as a Frelian from outside the cell came towards Innes.

"Sire, we've apprehended a traitor—"

"Silence," Innes ordered. He swept past his men to find Gerik holding Tethys. All told, she was unharmed, with the exception of a developing bruise on her right knuckles. The same could not be said for the two Frelian knights she appeared to have knocked cold. Gerik looked from Tethys to Innes with a look he had once seen on a caged, hungry lion. Even though Tethys had held her own, the situation had to be diffused quickly.

"Who is responsible for this?" Innes demanded of the men who were still conscious. Neither answered. He straightened himself and took a step towards them.

"The messenger from the Councilman told us that she meant to kill you! Look what she did to the guards we posted!" one of them said. His voice cracked midway through, and were it not so serious of a situation, Innes might have found it amusing.

"You do understand that I hired this woman for our expedition myself, do you not? Do you think me incapable of discerning in advance if someone is getting ready to stick a knife in my back?"

"No, sir!"

"Then—"

"Prince Innes, sir!"

One of the soldiers from outside came running towards them. He was pale under his armor, and out of breath.

"The Captain is dead, sir, and the Councilman's messenger is nowhere to be found. There are so many bodies…"

Innes let out the breath he'd been holding. "I see. The three of you, go man the gate. You volunteered yourselves for front line duty with your idiocy. Send up the call that the Councilman's messenger is an assassin and that Carcino has betrayed us. Flush the assassin out, then man the posts. Prepare for siege."

As soldiers ran this way and that, preparing the fortress for anything, Innes turned back to Gerik and Tethys.

"Can you stand?" Gerik was asking quietly.

"Don't be ridiculous. They're the ones on the ground, not me. Really, I should be asking you, Chief. You don't look so good." Tethys' smile was strong. Innes admired her in spite of himself.

"While I'm glad that you're unharmed, I anticipate that we'll soon be beset by those who won't be knocked out with a mere punch to the face," Innes said. "That man, if he's still here, intended to have you take the fall for my death. I have no intention of dying, nor of letting you take the blame for this nonsense. Take a moment to heal yourselves, then meet me at the front. We're ending this farce tonight."

"He's a charmer," Innes heard Tethys mutter. "Apology accepted, not that being locked up was any trouble."

"I don't think that's his style," Gerik said. Louder, Innes heard, "We're not the only ones hurt, Prince. How long can your men hold in a siege, if it comes to that?"

Innes smirked. "My men? Why, with me at the helm, as long as it takes."


	4. The Asphodel Meadows

Two days.

Two nonstop, merciless days. Mercenaries and bandits alike threw themselves against the fortress at all hours without cease. The stock of weapons and remedies that the stronghold had carried before the battle disappeared rapidly as corpses piled up. Before first light on the second morning, Innes' army was depleted, its numbers decimated to the point of negligibility.

With the single remaining goal of reducing casualties, Innes fired Gerik and Tethys. When they refused to leave him to die, Innes could feel the lesser man inside himself — for he felt very much the lesser for having lost so many men already — begin to break down. He was completely out of control, and for once, he was very much aware of it.

But Gerik nudged him and called him melodramatic, and Tethys made a witty quip and smiled, and when they made one final charge with little to no hope of survival, he was not alone.

Innes had never been so grateful to see Eirika of Renais than he had been when she approached the fortress that final morning. Without her and her forces, Gerik, Innes, and Tethys would have fed the crows. As it was, they had emerged victorious, and with a new companion to boot. Innes had recognized Marisa from a distance from Gerik's earlier descriptions of his friends. In Gerik's words, the guild had bungled and sent Marisa to the wrong place. With the Crimson Flash on the right side, though it wasn't enough to turn the tides, together with Renais' men they survived the day.

Now, though, as Eirika's forces tended to the few Frelian survivors before they began the march to Caer Pelyn and on to Jehanna, Innes was alone for the first time since it had all began. He sat on the stone steps of the Hall, his back pressed against the stone of the door. His quiver was empty, his hands were numb, and his body shook. He tried to calm himself by trying to remember where Tethys' brother Ewan, the one who had proposed the route through Caer Pelyn, had been all of this time, for Innes didn't remember seeing him, but that only made him doubt his senses more. He needed to pull himself _together_—

"Prince, you don't look so good. Do you need to take a rest?" Gerik asked. He had a large bag of supplies swung over one shoulder.

"I already thanked you for your services and rehired you. I told you, I don't need your help."

Gerik stood in silence for a long moment before sitting down beside him, setting the bag to aside. Innes thought about scolding him for blocking anyone who wanted to go up and down the steps, but he quickly realized that he did not care. Instead of speaking, he clutched his hands together to keep them from shaking.

"You know, I've got to thank you, too," Gerik said. Innes glanced over at him, but Gerik was staring off into the mountains. "If you hadn't spotted Marisa, we might not have gotten to her in time. When I was talking about my company on the way up, I didn't think you were listening."

"It was nothing. Besides, I never turn down free information. You never know when something will be useful," Innes said.

Gerik sighed. "Listen, the battle today…"

"We fought as well as we could have," Innes said. "Frelia's finest fought bravely. Alone, we could not carry the day. Next time, we'll do better."

"You've always pushed yourself this hard, haven't you?" Gerik was watching Innes the way he had in the tavern, with all of the intensity and concentration that Innes had when he sniped targets. In turn, Innes stared at him without really seeing him. "Your confidence, your surety. Pride, too. You've always had it in you to force yourself through anything."

"Nothing is worthwhile unless you fight for it."

"Don't get me wrong, it's admirable. But an attitude like that's going to get you killed one day, Prince." Gerik stood up. "Try not to let that happen."

Innes stood as well, cursing his graceless, quaking legs. "I have no intention of walking into the arms of death."

Gerik shook his head. "You could have fooled me." After a moment, he added, "There's a lot in this world that's worth fighting for. That's why I've got a job. But there are far more worthwhile things that have nothing to do with battle."

Rather than answering directly, Innes said, "It looks like the others are moving. You'd better make sure your mercenaries are ready to go."

Innes could see Gerik beside him, watching him. For a brief instant, Innes thought he saw something in Gerik's expression that looked strikingly like disappointment. It passed in a second, replaced by a blank look.

"Whatever you say, Prince," Gerik said. He picked up his supply bag and swung it over his shoulder. "We'll talk later. You know where to find me."

Innes watched him walk away down the steps. He walked with a purpose, only dallying to laugh at something Ewan seemed to have shouted after him.

Innes stood up resolutely. He did not care if anyone was disappointed in him. He had never cared about such trivialities, and he wouldn't start now. Not even if it left a bad taste in his mouth and a niggling sense of disappointment in himself at the back of his mind.


	5. Cocytus

Weeks passed. Innes' reinforcements arrived several days after the end of the siege at Teraz and had to catch up. Ewan led Eirika's forces through the mountains to Caer Pelyn and very nearly to their deaths at the hands of the fiendish creatures roaming the lands. No matter how many times Innes saw them, he could not help but shudder at the sight of shambling corpses and monstrous half-beasts. These were dark times indeed.

From Caer Pelyn, the army marched on, only to become entrenched in Hamill Canyon, wedged between Carcino mercenaries and Grado imperials. Thanks to Innes' strategic prowess, they carried the day, but at great cost. Innes could count the number of men he had initially set out with on one hand.

Gerik pulled Innes aside after that fight and told him why he became a mercenary. He told Innes about the friends that he'd lost, and more about the ones he hoped to keep alive. Innes listened and spoke little. What could he say in response to Gerik's request, spoken as a friend rather than as a contractor, that he do his best to stay alive?

Even in the face of so much loss, nothing could have prepared Eirika's forces or Innes himself for battle on the scorched sands in front of Jehanna Hall. With the Sacred Stone once encased within its walls destroyed, the palace burned. The sun was fiercer than Innes ever remembered it being, and the blood ran redder. All of the soldiers he had begun his march with lay dead by the day's end. Two of them, Innes could not even give proper burial, for they burned as Jehanna Hall did, their corpses going up in smoke with all the rest. While Eirika reunited with her brother, just arrived after taking the capital of Grado and killing Emperor Vigarde, Innes watched men and women, people who he at least knew by face, fall to the lances of Grado.

Eirika's army camped for the night outside the only unscathed village for miles. While the others drank to their success and in memory of their fallen companions, Innes stood before Jehanna Hall. The stones still smoked, and the ashes were hot. Innes' boots had long since sunk into the sands, and sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Prince Innes?" Innes turned at Gerik's call. "Ah, there you are." Gerik stood beside him, his arms folded.

"Did you walk out here alone?" Innes asked.

Gerik made a sound in the back of his throat. "Aye. I thought I might find you out here. Looks like I was right, and good thing, too. I wouldn't like coming out all this way for nothing."

"I take it this visit means that you require something, then?"

"Only your pleasant company." Innes glared at Gerik. "Relax, Prince Innes. Really, the Prince of Renais was looking for you."

"I see," Innes said. Gerik didn't respond. "Are you reporting on my movements to him now? I suppose, from a lucrative perspective, it makes good sense to spy on your employer for another."

"You know, I know you remember what I said before," Gerik said, "about the money. You've got a diabolical memory, so I know that you know why I fight. Why do you keep coming back to the money?" Innes stared at the burning embers. He had no response to give. "You know, I think I know the answer," Gerik continued. "I think that's your way of blocking me out."

"Nonsense," Innes answered automatically.

"Right back at you," Gerik said. "I think you bring it up to put me in my place. I'm the mercenary, you're the prince, I get it. But what you don't see is that we're in this together." Innes said nothing. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Silence reigned. It was heavy and oppressive, and Innes would have screamed if he thought he could have maintained his composure. Gerik, for his part, remained impassive.

"Maybe I'm the one who doesn't get it," the mercenary said finally. "Maybe it really is too much." He stooped down to take a handful of sand. "You know, Queen Ismaire was the guildmaster of Jehanna. It was more of a ceremonial title than anything else, really, but she was important. She was there when I was accepted as a chief. We never spoke, but I wish we had, because I liked her. Or, I respected her. She was a kind woman, but ferocious with a blade. I can't think of a single person who could best her in a one-on-one fair fight. I admired her. Now that she's gone… It's hard to say. The guild's probably a wreck, for one thing, but I feel like we lost more than a Queen. She was always more than that." Gerik allowed the sand to flow through his fingers. The wind carried it into the fire. "Sometimes, you remind me of her."

Innes' eyes snapped to Gerik.

"As a matter of fact, when I first met you, I thought you had to be related. The way you straighten your back when you feel under attack, it's the same thing she did when someone questioned her. Not that it happened often, of course, because she was the Queen, but still. There was always some young new guy swinging a sword without knowing front from back who thought he knew better than she did. She was quiet like you, too. Quiet and brilliant."

Innes thought for a long moment. He knew Gerik meant what he was saying. The mercenary, Innes had found, was a terrible liar.

"You said we were friends."

"What?"

Innes cleared his throat. "Earlier, when we last spoke after the battle in Hamill Canyon. You told me not to get myself killed. You said that we were friends."

"That's right."

"I don't have friends." Gerik laughed. "I'm being serious, so listen well. I don't have friends. I don't trust people. I hired you to do a job, and a job is what you'll do. After that," Innes said, "after that, assuming we're both still alive, we go our separate ways."

"Of course we will go our separate ways," the mercenary said. "But who knows, roads sometimes converge at multiple places. And you just may be right about the friendship thing." Innes stiffened his spine as he heard Gerik turn to talk back to camp. "You probably don't have friends, but I'll say it again and as many times as I have to: you've got a friend in me. Now come on, it's late. Even you need to sleep sometimes."

Innes pulled his feet out of the sand and began the walk with Gerik back to the campsite.

"And by that," Gerik said, "I mean that you need to sleep tonight."

Innes worked his jaw before answering. There was sand in his boots, and it burned his toes as he walked walked. The air away from the burnt remains of the castle was chill, and he pulled his tunic sleeves as far down as they could go. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb, Prince Innes, it doesn't suit you. You didn't sleep last night. I would guess that you slept an hour the evening before."

"The fact that you know such a thing indicates that you did not sleep, either."

Gerik stopped, and Innes stopped himself short before momentum carried him straight into the mercenary. "No, it means that I have ears. Last night, you took the entire night watch by insulting everyone who tried to relieve you until they gave up and left. While the range of derogatory remarks at your disposal is impressive, you shouldn't have done it. As for the night before, Marisa saw you get up."

"Pester her, then. Clearly, she isn't sleeping, either."

"How many torches have you burned?" Innes shut his mouth. "You've been pacing the campsite when you think no one is awake to see. You haven't slept, and while your appetite has never been spectacular, you rarely eat."

"You're not my mother. Leave it be."

Gerik shook his head. "No, I'm not, but you're arguing like a child."

"Perhaps, but your concerns are childish."

"Is it foolish to worry after the man who must one day lead a country?"

"Father hasn't decided between my sister and I. Who knows, he just might choose someone else altogether."

Gerik shook his head. "You're making this much harder than it has to be. How do I make you see?" He twisted his mouth in thought. "Do you know what kind of training mercenaries get put through to become chiefs?"

Innes shook his head. "Regrettably not. The guilds of Jehanna are closed tight, even to my ears."

"Well, consider this more free information, then. There are ruins on the eastern coast of Lagdou. Do you know of them?"

"In passing, yes. Lagdou is an abandoned province, is it not?"

"That's right. The original capital was there, but the stories go that it was laid to waste by the Demon King. Now, there is nothing. Or, there is usually nothing. Those who go there while led astray on a hunt or while simply lost claim the place is haunted by demons. Times like this, I think those folks may have been right," Gerik said. "At any rate, the guild used it for training. A fellow would be dropped off there without food, water, or shelter, and told to survive for a month."

Innes tried to picture the desolation in his mind's eye. "What is the purpose of this exercise? Surely, as a mercenary, one is already adapted to such hardships."

"You'd be surprised. The chief is responsible for much when it comes to a band of mercenaries. The chief is the primary decision-maker with regards to everything. His or her goal is to stay alive, and to keep everyone else alive, too. The people the chief leads only have to look after themselves."

"So, you drop a person into the ruins to see if they sink or swim."

"Exactly. If they can take care of themselves in a place like that — somewhere were more than half of the water runs black with filth and the game is rare and lean — then they can do it anywhere. No man can take care of others who cannot care for himself."

"And you are telling me this…?"

"Because you don't take care of yourself. Think about it: on the most basic level, in times of war, you're no different than a mercenary chief. You lead men and women into battle, and they count on you to come back alive."

Innes held his fists behind his back. "We will not speak of this further."

"Except," Gerik continued, "I think you'd be the first person that the test failed on. See, I know you'd survive in Lagdou. I wonder, though, if others were put with you—"

"_We will not speak of this further_."

Gerik turned his attention back to Innes. The prince clutched his hands into fists so tightly behind his back that he thought he might have drawn blood. He bit his lips together to keep from saying any more.

"Innes," Gerik said. "Innes, this isn't your fault." Innes continued to bite his lips, sealing them shut. "Hey, listen I…"

Innes didn't care to find out what else Gerik had to say.

"I'm going back now," the prince said. He turned and marched toward the campsite. He could hear Gerik coming up behind him, could sense that the mercenary wanted to say more, but Innes couldn't hear it. For once, all he wanted was to go home.


	6. Akheron (Part I)

To his credit, Innes did try to sleep. Rest evaded him, and at dawn, the army began the northern march to Rausten Court.

Their journey across the sands was uneventful. News of Queen Ismaire's death had spread like the wildfires the country's few forested regions were known for, and every town the army stopped in afforded them every available courtesy. Having Joshua, the Queen's long-absent son, explain the situation each time certainly didn't hurt matters.

Once they crossed the border into the craggy southlands of Rausten, however the hospitality that the army had inadvertently grown reliant upon dried up. As L'Arachel, Princess of Rausten, explained, most of the populace of the theocracy located itself in the northeast, where fertile grounds and countless clean lakes made for easy living. The capital itself was the last major urban center before the bogs of the southlands. According to the princess, these were the lands that had been terrorized by the Demon King in days long past. The people who tried to settle there claimed that devils inhabited the entire swatch of land from the borders of Carcino right through Jehanna, spoiling the water and petrifying the trees. Between the local legends and the poor growing conditions, other than a handful of marsh-farmers, the lands were deserted.

While the mythology surrounding the place may have been just that, the southlands were now infested with monsters. On the first day across the border, the sun hadn't even cleared the tops of the scrawny, dead trees before fiends attacked. The revenants were weak but multitudinous, and they had managed to surround the army without detection.

"How tedious," Innes announced to no one in particular. "These things are a perfect waste of ammunition."

"For you? Hardly. You always hit your targets. Some of our companions aren't so skilled."

Innes let loose another arrow. "Hello, Tethys. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Prince. You getting enough sleep?" Rather than respond, the prince shot an approaching bael in the eye and pierced the heart of a rather small maelduin. Tethys laughed, and her bracelets jingled. "You are your usual charming self today, so it's hard to tell."

"No," Innes said. "I'm not sleeping."

"I know. Chief told me."

"And? What else did he tell you?"

"Oh, lots of things. I'll tell you all about it after this skirmish."

Innes' eyes still scanned the field. There had been a thin fog clinging to the ground since sunrise, and it was only now receding. The monsters seemed to be retreating with it.

"Unless, you wouldn't happen to need a boost, would you? I've been working on a new dance. You might even like this one."

The monsters had retreated far enough that soldiers near the front line were falling back to continue the march. Innes loosened his bowstring and placed the arrow he had knocked back into his quiver.

"I enjoy all of your dances, Tethys. I don't ask for them because you've been dancing your feet bloody. While your skills are invaluable, I must request that you rest."

Tethys laughed again. It was melodic and silvery, and it reminded Innes of his mother. "Now I know you haven't been sleeping. It isn't like you to compliment."

Innes frowned. "Do you truly think me so unsociable? To not recognize your talents would be tantamount to idiocy."

"That's very kind of you to say. See, normally, you don't do that."

"Perhaps I should. Lately, there is much that I think I ought to do differently."

Tethys shook her head. "Now, that's not the Prince we all know and love. Come on, cheer up. I'll dance for you."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I do believe we had better move, lest we are left behind. This region seems treacherous. I wouldn't like to get caught out here alone."

Tethys glanced at the soldiers passing by. The army was indeed moving. "I trust your eyesight better than anyone else's when it comes to spotting monsters. If you're moving, I'm sticking with you."

Innes nodded and proffered an arm. "Stay close. I'll keep a watch for the both of us."

The dancer said, "Thank you. I suppose in exchange you'll want to be hearing all of what Chief said about you."

"I never took you for a gossip, Tethys."

"I'm not, but you ought to know."

The prince spared a glance at the sky. Though the fog had dissipated, clouds were rolling in. "When we set up camp, then. I don't like this weather."

The pair walked together in silence as the army moved north. Innes watched the clouds thicken with increasing concern. By noon, the prince could stare at the sun without so much as squinting. Leading Tethys, Innes made his way to the front, where Eirika and Ephraim were conversing.

"Eirika," Innes said. "I recommend we find shelter, and immediately."

"What's the matter, Innes?" the princess asked.

Innes looked to the sky. "I don't like the looks of this weather."

"Ha, Innes, you must be joking," Ephraim said. "It's cloudy, nothing more. If we stop here, we lose all momentum for the day."

"This is an army, not some band of cavaliers. We've sick and wounded. If we're stranded on the road in a storm, we will be in trouble."

"Innes?" Eirika asked. "Do you really think it will be that bad?"

Innes looked up again. The clouds that had been white and fluffy this morning had long ago grown tall and black. "Yes," he said.

Tethys tugged on Innes' tunic. "There's a girl trying to get our attention," she said. "It might not be important, but she looks frantic." To the girl, Tethys said, "Come on out, honey. What's wrong?"

"What?" Innes said, spinning to see to whom Tethys spoke. "What do you want?"

A girl stumbled forward to stand before him, her face nearly as pink as her hair. She had a well-string bow and a full quiver at her back. Whoever she was, Innes approved of her choice of weaponry. "H-hello," the girl said.

"Who are you?" Innes asked again.

She glanced to a boy behind her, then back to Innes. "Uh, we haven't met, but… My name's Neimi… Princess Eirika, I know this kind of weather."

"You do?" Eirika asked.

The girl looked at the ground, then back up. She ground her bottom lip between her teeth. "That is, the Prince is right. The sky looks really green, and the clouds—and there's that smell… There's going to be a really bad storm. It's tornado weather."

"Nonsense," L'Arachel declared. "There are no such storms this far north. It couldn't possibly be a tornado."

"Green?" Ephraim asked. "Smell? What are you all talking about?"

Innes shook his head. "We've been fighting monsters and magic, and you're talking about what's normal. Natural or no, there's a bad storm coming. Neimi is right; it will be a tornado. If we're in the open, the results could be be catastrophic."

"How can you tell how bad?" Ephraim asked.

Innes glared at Ephraim. "I'm no seer. With storms like these, there's no way to tell. However, tornadoes have a reputation for sheer destruction. We'll not be able to escape easily if one of those funnels touches down near us."

Eirika elbowed Ephraim in the arm to keep him from speaking. "Thank you, Innes, Neimi. We hadn't even noticed the weather had gotten bad. Seth," she called, "tell everyone to turn around. We make for that we passed earlier. We'll shelter there until the storm passes over."

There was some controlled chaos as the army turned about. Cavaliers ushered soldiers into a column in hopes of keeping stragglers from being left behind. Several times, Innes thought he heard the low moans of the undead, but a desire to keep the army out of the worsening weather kept him from speaking up.

"That's an interesting skill you have," Tethys said. Innes had quite forgotten she was the one holding onto his arm. It was too comfortable, having someone as close as this. Usually, the only one interested in keeping Innes' company was Tana, his sister.

"What?"

"You can tell when a storm's coming, even a rare one."

"Tornadoes are commonplace along the western coast of the continent, particularly in the south of Frelia and into Grado. While I've never seen one in person, I've heard reports of the conditions and have seen firsthand the damages. The conclusion was not a difficult one to reach."

Innes helped Tethys over few high rocks, following the direction of a knight who was gesturing to one of many caves. There was a series of them set into the low mountainside that the army had kept to their flank as they moved north. Someone had lit torches in the opening of one, and already, the smell was nigh unbearable. The prince watched soldiers disappear into the shadow of the cave. Whlie it didn't appear inhabited, bandits and wild men tended to call similar places home. In addition, with monsters roaming…

"No one else seemed to see the signs," Tethys said, settling herself into a relatively dry niche. When Innes didn't answer right away, she said, "Of the storm, that is. We've some from Grado with us. I'm surprised they didn't notice."

"I'm sure some of the Frelian knights did."

Innes caught the brief look of shock on Tethys' face before she neutralized her expression. Innes' gut turned.

After a moment, he said, "Gilliam, Vanessa, Moulder. I'm sure they noticed."

"Prince…"

_Gilliam, Vanessa, Moulder. Gilliam, Vanessa, Moulder_. They were all that remained. Innes sat down beside Tethys. He caught sight of Tana entering the cave with Eirika and Ephraim. He deliberately avoided eye contact and supposed she had done the same.

After they had passed, Tethys asked, "Are you two fighting?" Her attempt to change the subject was blatant, but Innes latched on anyway.

"Who, Tana and I?"

Tethys nodded. "Yeah. You don't mention her. I don't think I've seen you talk to her once since you've reunited. When I look at you two, and at Ewan and I… Well, it's not exactly a comparable situation, but I imagine our relationship would be the same as it is now were we where you are."

Innes paused. "We're not fighting. Not precisely. She shouldn't be here."

"Why not? She's a princess, right? It's her war."

Innes looked at his sister's back as she went deeper in. She did not so much as glance over her shoulder. "She doesn't understand," he said. "This isn't a game. You're right, it is her war, but it is _war_."

"You're afraid she's going to get herself killed."

Innes allowed his head to rest against the cold wall of the cave. Based on where everyone settled, Innes assumed that he and Tethys had been volunteered for lookout. No one else was so close to the mouth of the cave. He didn't mind the presumption as much as he should have.

"She shouldn't be here," Innes repeated. Even he could hear the futility in his words.

Tethys patted his knee, and the prince stopped himself from recoiling. "I know," she said. "I went through it with Ewan. You know this, of course. He's been trying to get on the battlefield ever since we set out."

"I don't remember seeing him around until we reached Teraz."

The dancer nodded. "That's right. I got him rooms at inns, camped him in with me, and kept him as close to the middle as possible. Most other chiefs I've met wouldn't have let me bring him, but Chief is a good man. He knew that I didn't have anywhere to leave Ewan while I worked. As for Ewan, well, I know he made friends with a couple of the soldiers I asked to keep an eye on him while we marched. He was sad to see them go." Tethys laughed, and it was tinged with all of the sadness of Innes' corresponding silence. The prince was beginning to realize that Tethys laughed to mask sorrow. "I think, seeing what happened to them, it strengthened his resolve to take his magic to the battlefield. He has always wanted to help, and having that happen… I think he realized that he couldn't play anymore."

The prince nudged a pebble with his left boot. "It sounds like you and your brother are close."

"Very," Tethys said. "We've been in this together since the beginning. He's my family."

"Where is he now? I suppose I owe him an…apology after my harsh words on the way to Caer Pelyn. I shouldn't have snapped at him." Innes slid his eyes to Tethys. "I owe you one as well."

"What, you want to apologize for the incident at that mountain fort several weeks ago when you stopped him from running headlong into those fiends? Don't let it bother you. I doubt he remembers anything other than how good your hearing is. He talked about it for days. I think he's actually been trying to train his ears." Tethys looked back into the cave. "He's back there now with Saleh. As for me… I think you've apologized enough. Don't let it bother you."

Innes propped his head in his hand, angling himself toward Tethys. "I disagree."

"You usually do."

Innes smiled in spite of himself. He knew a losing battle when he saw one. He could always find a way to make it up to Tethys later. She deserved this hardship about as much as Tana did — that is to say, not at all. "

How did that man end up teaching Ewan magic?" Innes asked, looking back to Saleh.

"Persistence," Tethys said with a smile.

"How so?"

"Ewan refused to leave until he said yes."

Innes' smile widened. His face hurt from the involuntary gesture. He hadn't smiled in weeks. "You are lucky to have each other."

"Yes, I think we are." Tethys looked around. "Hey, speaking of luck, I don't see the Chief around. I don't know if it's good or bad, but it does mean I can tell you what he said."

The prince looked back into the cave. He had grown familiar with Gerik's silhouette while scaling the mountains in Carcino, as the mercenary had often gotten ahead of him. Now, through the darkness, Innes could make out no figure that so much as resembled the mercenary.

"Prince?" Tethys asked. She must have noticed some slight change in Innes' body language, the way he tensed himself when he could not locate Gerik. "What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Gerik since the skirmish this morning?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen the Chief since. I'd been with him until I saw you. I figured you'd be better company. He was in a foul mood."

The prince moved to the very edge of the mouth of the cave to better see out. The world had been painted in a sickly green, and the wind was starting to pick up. "Check the back. If he's here, find him."

Tethys didn't move right away. Her mouth was set in a tight line. "You don't think he was with us when we turned around."

Innes hesitated before answering. "Check the cave. Please." He turned his attention to the outside. Condensation dripped from the wet stones, a byproduct of the earlier fog and the unusual temperatures. The winds were building strength now, and the gusts carried the deep groans that Innes had heard before. Monsters were about, though it was too difficult to discern how numerous or how far away they were. If Gerik were out there…

"No one's seen the Chief. He's not in here," Tethys said. He could hear her worrying her bracelets. "What do we do?"

Innes' mind was working as quickly as possible, but the number of solutions for the present problem were coming up short.

"We can't take everyone outside in this," Innes said. "I can hear undead fiends out there, and between those vile creatures and this storm, we'll be as good as dead."

"So what are we going to do?"

Innes turned around. "_We_ aren't going to do anything. I am going to go looking for him. You are going to stay here."

"Prince, that's not—"

Someone else was approaching. "Innes?" Eirika asked. "Tethys said she couldn't find Gerik. Have you found him?" She looked between Tethys and Innes. "Where are you going?"

"To find him. Stay here; there are monsters about," Innes ordered.

"Wait, Innes!" Eirka called. "I'll come with you!"

"If you come, your entire cavalcade of knights will likely follow you, leaving the sick and wounded defenseless. That scenario must be avoided at all costs. Gerik is one man, not the entire army. You stay here."

"The Prince has a point, Princess. We'll find Chief." Innes glanced at Tethys. "Now, don't give me that look. I'm coming with you, like it or not."

"What about your brother?"

"Ewan has Saleh. He will be fine. Come on." Tethys gave him a smile that would put the ladies at court to shame. "Didn't I tell you and Chief to stop acting like such men?"

With a sigh, Innes relented. Any further arguing and they'd only be wasting potentially precious time. "If we're not back within the hour," Innes said to Eirika, "wait out the storm and continue the march north."

"Wait!" Eirika yelled. "Innes, wait!"

Tethys stepped out into the storm first, and Innes followed, staying close. Eirika's protests were immediately drowned out by the howling winds.

As they moved quickly down the rocks and into the trees, Innes said, "We should go back to where we fought earlier." Tethys shook her head, not understanding, then gestured to her ears. Understanding she could not hear him, he pointed back into the woods. She nodded, and together they made for the trees.

The descent from the cavern down to the ground brought them out of the worst of the gusts. Innes crouched behind a thicket and waited for Tethys to do the same. Even on the ground, the winds were heavier than Innes had predicted, and the arrows in his quiver clanged obnoxiously against each other.

When he was sure Tethys was following him, Innes began to run, crouched low to the ground, searching for anything that might lead him to Gerik. He tried to keep at least one flank protected by trees at all times, but they were scraggly, weak things that proved to be poor cover. The groans of the undead grew louder as Innes and Tethys ventured further into the wood, and the smell of rotting flesh and sulphur gagged them. There had to be a fire nearby, but Innes could see no flames.

They reached a clearing, and Tethys tugged at Innes' arm. She covered her nose and mouth with the other hand and pointed at the ground. The prince took a long look, squinting. This was where the army had engaged the revenants before, he realized, but the tracks were a mess. He scrutinized the ground for another moment. Or, rather, they were too clean.

He looked back to Tethys, but she a few feet away, gesturing him to follow her. He glanced around, searching for silhouettes amongst the trees, before he followed her. Without speaking, she pointed back into the clearing, tracing a shape with her finger.

Innes arched an eyebrow for lack of a better outlet for his surprise. The reason for the altered tracks was clear from the new vantage point: there were enormous, deep, widely-spaced prints overlaying them. Something had passed by after the army had left—something too big to be just any monster, something too big to fit anywhere except in wide, open spaces. Innes looked about the clearing and noticed several downed trees, splintered and trampled, all along the clearing. Whatever it was, it hardly fit out here.

Innes crouched low to the ground while he tried to figure out what to do. Whatever had made the tracks was a true monster. If Gerik had been unfortunate enough to meet the beast, chances were slim that the mercenary still drew breath.

As much as Innes didn't like to think it, it was logical to assume that the beast was, at the very least, tracking the mercenary. From past battle experience, Innes had inferred that the undead monsters controlled by the mad Prince Lyon had a strong sense of smell. With no eyes to speak of and by and large no magical prowess, there were few other explanations as to how the creatures could hit their targets with such skill. That being said, the beast had appeared not long after the army had left, and had chosen not to follow them to the caves. Innes could only assume that it had found better — or, more likely, easier — prey.

With those thoughts in mind, Innes had no choice. He nodded at Tethys and made for the wide open space to track the beast.

The stink in the air grew fouler by the second. Innes covered his mouth and nose with one hand and wished for some sort of reprieve, but it was not to be. The sounds, too, grew louder. Innes thought it just sounded like the common undead — perhaps his gigantic monster was an overgrown corpse? — until he heard something that stopped him where he stood.

A roar. Deep, throaty, and furious, it came from the direction of the tracks. If Innes hadn't known that they no longer existed, he would have guessed that it was a dragon.

A lesser man might have turned back, given Gerik up for dead. A lesser man, however, would not have ventured out into the storm at all. As it was, Innes considered himself no lesser man, and though he momentarily considered turning right back around, a set of tracks that the large monster had failed to wipe away caught his eye.

There were footprints. A single person had passed this way; based on the overlay, he or she had been followed by the monster. Innes looked to Tethys, only to find her looking at the same set of prints. She was paler than usual and sweating, but when she caught Innes' eye, she nodded furiously. She meant to carry on.

The prince and the dancer took off at a sprint and hoped it wasn't too late.


	7. Akheron (Part II)

It must have been magnificent. In days long past, it must have been a tremendous way to meet death, awesome in the most traditional sense of the world. It must have brought the fear of the gods and a respect for the unknowable back into the hearts of those who met it.

Now, though, it was merely grotesque. The awe that it inspired in Innes took its root in primal fear, a deep, clawing, cold sensation in the pit of the prince's stomach. This _thing_ had nothing to do with gods, nor even with men: it had entered the realm of true monstrosity. Its claws were as blunted iron, its breath the source of the foul, sulfurous smell that pervaded the woods. The webbing of its wings was torn and mottled with jagged holes. Its eyes were rotted out of its skull, and much of its flesh was torn away, revealing pale, splintered bones that most certainly did not move of their own accord.

"I didn't think dragons yet lived," Tethys said. She was close enough that Innes could hear her breathing, in and out, proof that she was alive, alive in a way entirely unlike the thing before them. She watched it with the same wary fascination that Innes had seen on her face during battle. Somehow, she was not frightened. Innes wondered at her calm.

"I'm not sure I'd call that living," Innes replied. He could see, even from a distance, that the monster's chest wasn't moving. Its limbs, though heavy and well-armored with dull scales, were stiff and atrophied. It must have been dead for some time before it was reanimated by the foul magic that now led it on its rampage.

The beast howled and beat its limbs ineffectually as if trying to fly. Innes and Tethys had tracked it across the forest to another low set of mountains, far to the east of where they had begun. Innes could feel the ache in his legs from lack of rest, and he guessed that it was likely close to sundown. If they didn't find Gerik soon, or proof that he had been killed, their chances of finding their way back to Eirika's forces were low. The trouble was, Gerik's tracks appeared to end where the beast now rested.

"I pity it," Tethys said. Innes looked at her. She was still fixated on the thing, her eyes watching it as it thrashed up and down, up and down, trying desperately to leave ground.

"Pity?" Innes questioned at long last.

Tethys shrugged. She glanced at the prince, then back to the beast. "It didn't ask for this," she said. "Whatever it was before, it didn't want to be turned into a monster. It probably didn't do anything to deserve it. It just wasn't very lucky, that's all. I pity people with bad luck."

Innes barked a short laugh. "That's not a person, Tethys. Save your compassion for humanity."

"Sometimes, it's humanity that deserves compassion the least," she said. "Someone committed this atrocity."

"Some_thing_ that isn't human. A demon using a human body as a shield."

"And who let this demon in?" Tethys asked. "Did it claw its way in? Did it force its way? Prince, just because a legendary evil is behind this magic doesn't make the man who enabled it to happen any less guilty. I pity him, too, whoever he is. I pity him for feeling weak and alone. I pity him for making his fears into his reality."

When Tethys looked at Innes, the prince could see that same look that Gerik had given him several times, the one that seemed to cut to the heart of the matter. But instead of the mercenary's heavy frown, Tethys curved her lips into a smile and laughed softly.

"Look at that, I'm starting to sound like Saleh. That's enough philosophy for one day, isn't it? Come on. If this thing is here, Chief has to be around."

Tethys started off again, keeping to the bushes. Innes was quick to follow. He didn't want to stay there any longer than absolutely necessary.

The winds weren't as strong here. In fact, after they had tracked Gerik and the beast a certain distance, they seemed to die away altogether. Tethys had suggested that perhaps the storm was something unnatural, forged by the same magic that reanimated corpses. Innes wasn't sure of anything.

"We should split up," Tethys said after walking a ways around the clearing the monster seemed to have made for itself.

"That would be suicide," Innes said. He eyed the beast, still trying to take off. How much could it hear? Smell? The hairs on the back of the prince's neck prickled with what he belatedly recognized as fear. If that thing took note of them, they were both dead.

"Then how do you propose we go about this?" Tethys asked. Innes was still watching the monster. It was clawing at the air, though it seemed to have turned marginally closer to where they now hid.

"Tethys, I think we should move," Innes said. The dancer asked no questions, just moved where Innes directed her to. They retreated a little farther back into the woods, just out of sight of tiny clearing.

Innes stood very still. There was a stiff breeze, and large wafts of stinking air carried by each ineffectual beat of the monster's wings. Perhaps, the prince thought, he'd been wrong. He'd been sure that it had somehow taken note of their presence, but—

The sound was so loud, so awesome, that Innes' ears rang to the point of pain. He saw Tethys slam her palms over her ears. As it carried on, he began to feel dizzy, the ground in front of him seeming to spin. For a brief moment, it seemed as if Tethys had gotten taller, but the world made slightly more sense when his knees hit the leaves that littered the ground.

There was a pull on Innes' sleeve. He tried to focus, but Tethys had vanished. The pull came again, and Innes was on his feet and running. Even as his legs worked on their own to carry him to safety, his vision swum in a nauseating fashion. He could see a hand attached to his own wrist—that was what was pulling him along, he realized. Attached to that hand was an arm, and attached to that—

_Gerik_. The mercenary was distorted in Innes' eyes. How had he found them?

"Get down!" Innes heard. Instinctively, he dropped. The hand that led him, Gerik's hand, did, too. Something landed on Innes' back, and he heard a sickening groan that he hoped hadn't issued from his own mouth. Something dark passed overhead, eclipsing the sky, and then was gone.

"Stay down." It was Gerik talking. Innes lifted his head, willing his eyes to focus. Slowly, two Gerik's became one.

Anger replaced relief. "And where do you think you've been?" he said. The mercenary put a hand over his mouth, but Innes yanked it away. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

"You're one to talk," Gerik said. "Stay quiet. It can hear better than anything. It's too big to stop as fast as we can, but once it does, you'd better believe it will be listening for us."

Innes shut his mouth and tried to roll over. Another groan issued from his back, and Innes was grimly pleased to discover that it was Tethys and not he who made those noises. Gerik gestured for silence, and while Tethys was too busy steadying herself against the earth to see, she complied nonetheless.

The three of them remained still, crouched against the ground, until night had very nearly fallen.

"I don't smell it anymore. We should move," Gerik said, "while we can."

"Chief," Tethys said. "It's good to see you in one piece."

The mercenary nodded, his mouth a grim line. "And you as well. Why are you here? You didn't come alone, did you?"

"Of course we did," Innes said. "It was too risky for anything else."

"And you don't think what you did was risky?" Gerik questioned. "Innes—" Tethys smacked Gerik across the face. Innes' eyes widened. "Tethys!"

"Chief, don't take this the wrong way, but if you say one more word about us looking for you, I'll deck you again. You went missing, we went looking. Simple as that."

Innes nodded. "We noticed you were gone and came out alone. Everyone else is hiding in one of a series of caves we're going to have a difficult time finding if we don't try to retrace our steps while it's still light." He looked to the sky. "As it is, I doubt we'll be able to find them. It took us hours to find you."

Gerik's frown deepened. "So we're stranded out here?" Innes hesitated, then nodded. "All right. For how long?"

"What do you mean?" Innes questioned.

The mercenary eyed the sky. "We can't get back tonight. Will they still be there tomorrow morning?"

Innes glanced at Tethys. The dancer caught his eye and worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"I don't know," Innes admitted. The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Gerik stared at him until he elaborated. "There was a bad storm, and so the army took shelter. Once it passed, though…"

The mercenary looked at the ground. "Once it passed, the plan was to keep moving." He kicked a stone. "Unbelievable."

Anger flared in Innes. "What's that?"

Gerik looked up at Innes, and his expression of annoyance faded. "I meant in the sense that I don't believe they would leave you behind. You're the Crown Prince of Frelia."

"I am well aware, thank you. There is also a very powerful and very dangerous demon inhabiting the body of the Prince of Grado who is very keen on destroying the only objects in the world capable of preventing the continent's quick descent into darkness and destruction. Royalty or no, they will leave us behind in favor of saving everyone else. After all, in the end, at least one royal has to die for the peace."

In the absence of discussion, crickets sounded in the woods. The buzz of cicadas, the background noise that Innes had become used to, had faded with the oncoming dark. So, too, had the moans of the undead.

"Well, now that we have that out of the way," Tethys said finally, "let's get a move on. Just because the sky is dark doesn't mean our outlooks have to match. I say we move."

"We don't have a prayer of finding a way back in the dark," Innes said. "Even if we manage to get to the original set of tracks, we'll be hard-pressed to see them."

Gerik said, "Getting back isn't the only problem. I've been around here for a few hours. After I was separated from you, I got lost and found that dragon carcass. I've been dodging it ever since, but that thing's not the only monster out here. There are corpses everywhere, just laying on the ground. They stirred when I came close."

"An ambush of the undead," Innes said. "The magic that animates them must be rigged to respond to nearby humans."

Tethys pursed her lips. In the fading light, her smudged lipstick made a dark gash across her face. "We could try torches? We'd be able to see the revenants and the tracks."

"We also risk burning the forest down," Innes said. "This wood is dead. One wrong move and we're trapped in our own man-made inferno."

"Not to mention very visible. I heard someone this morning saying that there are river folk that live here in the south. Given the circumstances, they might be inclined to attack first and ask questions later."

Innes huffed. "Do you really think they'll be a problem?"

"I was more worried about what we might do to them, mistaking them for enemies, than they might do to us."

The dancer put a hand on her hips. "All of that aside, do either of you have a better idea?"

Innes ran a hand through his hair, and Gerik shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "No," they answered.

"Then it's settled. Break off a few big branches, a few for each of us for when they burn down." Tethys's face was no more than a pale blob in the dark, with holes for eyes and mouth. "This wood's so dry, we might need several."

Gerik unsheathed his blade and began hacking at a nearby tree, tacking off several low-hanging limbs. Innes had a knife, but it was small and meant as a last resort in close combat. He eyed the trees, then turned to Tethys. She was bent over the ground, searching with her hands.

"Flint," she said softly. "We need flint…"

Innes joined her, promptly finding several pieces of it.

"You really do have good eyesight, don't you?" Tethys meant it more as a statement than a question. Innes smirked, then realized she could not see it.

"That's right," he said. "I do." The words felt stilted in his mouth. Making light conversation without sarcasm had always been difficult for him.

"Here," Gerik said, coming up behind Tethys. "Branches." He passed them around. Innes handed him one of the flint rocks, and Gerik struck it against his sword, lighting several of the sticks. In the firelight, Innes could see both of his companions. He felt at ease, and recognized belatedly that he had been tense.

"Let's move," Tethys , they began to retrace their steps.


End file.
